Art Setup Guide

Pre-paddock preparation

If you’re keen to make art for Kiwiburn then there are a few things you need to consider before you’re ready to take it to the paddock.

Register your art

This is rather simple, just check out the art installation register and fill in the form to start the process. Include a little spiel about your project and if possible a picture or model of what it will look like.

Safety

Once you have registered your art, someone from the team will get hold of you to complete a health and safety plan. This is a reasonably simple task and our team can help you through it. If you could come up with a list of possible safety issues and ways that you will mitigate them prior to registration, this would help the team. Hazards to include could be, but are not limited to, tripping, falling, sharp edges, electricity, fire and night time illumination.

Placement

Placement is on a first come first serve basis, so if you have a specific location you want your art, the sooner you let us know, the better. If you haven’t been to Kiwiburn before and would like to check out the site and find somewhere suitable to place your art, then contact us about the work weekends we have. These happen on site where you will be able to look around and see if you can find somewhere that suits you. If you don’t know where you want to put it then don’t worry, we can sort this out once you’re on the Paddock.

You’re on the Paddock…

You’ve spent weeks and months getting your art project ready for Kiwiburn, you’ve registered your art and now you have arrived on the Paddock rearing to get your project set up, awesome! These next steps should show you through the process to get everything going.

Artery

Your first step once arriving on Paddock should be to find some of the lovely folk at the Artery. The Artery is Kiwiburn’s central art hub where you will be able to find help with placement, art support, and art events that celebrate works found on the Paddock. They will be able to tell you where you have been placed and/or arrange where you will be placed. You will find the Artery signed posted and sandwiched between the Depot and Town Hall.

Light it up!

Unlit art makes for all sorts of safety hazards so even as you are building your Project, please ensure it can be seen! It can be as simple as solar lights, bicycle lights or even glow sticks, just ensure that people can see that something is there. If you use batteries as a source of power, then please test them before the event to know how often you will need to change them. If you want to make a lot of light so that people can see and interact with your art, then you might need a generator. You can check out information about generators in the survival guide.

The wind does blow!

The wind at Kiwiburn has the ability to pick up objects and make them fly away at a mighty pace, even if they are pegged to the ground! So as you could imagine, it is vital to secure your art properly. Rebar makes a perfect long & strong stake and is also cheap and easily available. Get it at a local hardware store where they may also be able to cut it to length for you. Be sure to cover any rebar stakes to prevent the risk of anyone impaling themselves!

To burn or not to burn?

Burning art is a bit of a Kiwiburn tradition. If you want to chuck your art on the fire after the man burns you are free to do so, however, if you wish to burn your artwork in its place, you will need permission and approval from Health & Safety to do so. There are several requirements that this will involve and it will significantly increase the amount of preparation required. Please note that in the event of a total fire ban, artwork that may have been planned to be burned will need to be taken away by participants, so please make provisions for this possibility. The sooner you contact us the better, so send us an email at artinstallations@kiwiburn.com.

During the event

Be sure to check your art and the area around it daily for MOOP (matter out of place) and replace batteries or glow sticks for the evening. Take photos of your art for your own record, you can also send them in to us for inclusion on the website album. Kiwiburn is a fertile meeting ground for artists and patrons of the arts. Although vending is strictly disallowed at the event, artists at Kiwiburn are free to encounter potential clients for their work in an environment free of agents, dealers, or any of the other professional intermediaries who normally impose themselves in the creative process. Kiwiburn is a radically unmediated environment and can yield unique opportunities.

Leaving the Paddock

Clean up before you leave! You are responsible to leave no trace in the spot where your project was and the area around it. If you fail to do so, then it could affect your chances of getting a Kiwiburn Art Grant in the future. Also if you have be given a grant, a few dollars might be withheld.